Care Package- March

Deployment Binder

Before Zach left we tried to get together as many important documents as we could and I put them all together in a binder. We also went to a deployment fair where they gave us a deployment packet and a lot of other information that's good to have. 

A couple of things you definitely want to have before deployment include:

Power of Attorney (Just do it..)

His orders

A copy of his military ID

FRG info and contacts

Red cross info

We also got some info for Tri-care and Deers. And of course have his address and care package forms so that you can send packages :)

Manitou Incline

The Incline is a popular spot here in Southern Colorado. It's considered one of the hardest hikes around. It's a mile up a mountain, climbing stairs that are made out of wood. The stairs start at an easy pace but towards the end you can find yourself using your hands to help you climb! It's definitely a difficult hike, and is used by a lot of the soldiers here to train. When we went, there were people of all ages and fitness levels. You don't have to be in total shape to do this hike, but it will take you a lot longer. Between the elevation gain and the fact that you're going up steep stairs for a mile, it's common to take small breaks. 

I was worried at first that I wasn't nearly in shape enough for this hike, but Zach encouraged me to take my time and our group made it up the Incline! :)

Pre-deployment

The time has come for deployment! We've been expecting and waiting for this for quite some time and it's a little scary now that it's finally here. Throughout this very different time in our lives I'm going to try to update and post some experiences on the subject. 

This is our very first deployment, so I'm going to put this out there now that I am clearly NOT an expert at anything deployment, I just want to share my experience for any other military wives or girlfriends that may want to listen. 

Today I'm going to post some things we did to prepare for the big day. Again, I'm new to this, so if anyone has any other tips to add I would love to hear! Some of these will have a blog post of their very own coming soon :)

1. Get all of your important paper work and resources together and create a deployment binder

2. Make sure you have all of the contacts you might need while he is gone. 

3. Plan how you're going to use the extra money that comes in during deployment. Whether it's paying off debt, paying off a car, or saving it for something special, you both want to be on the same page about where that money is going to go. 

4. Prep the house and cars for when he leaves. For us this included making sure my car had any maintenance done that it needed. Zach filled his tank up halfway and added fuel stabilizer so that it will be okay sitting for a long period of time, and we planned out how often I need to start it up and let it run. He also cleaned up the yard and made sure I was prepared for any crazy weather (like the blizzard we're having right now).

5. Make sure you have his address where he can receive mail. I'm looking forward to posting some care package ideas!

6. Plan how you're going to communicate. Zach disconnected his phone for when he's overseas, but will be buying an internet pass each month in order to Skype, message, and do anything for himself for entertainment. He set up my Skype and we also downloaded the hangouts app to message each other. There are a lot of different options for internet, so make sure to look around. 

7. Plan something to do together. Zach and I decided on a couple of different bible studies and books to go through together so that we can stay connected and have something extra to talk about and stay close. We also decided to send letters to each other even though we will probably be able to communicate pretty often.

8. Make any changes necessary while he's gone. For us, we disconnected his phone, changed his car insurance since his truck won't be used, and also made sure the bank and other companies we use have the power of attorney so I can take care of things while he's gone. 

9. Make sure he has everything that he needs to bring packed up. There are going to be some things that will be bought once he gets there. Zach got a couple of things ahead of time including sheets, power converters for his chargers, soaps/shampoos/other hygiene products, extra clothes, books, music, movies, etc. 

10. Last, but not least, spend a lot of quality time together! If able, go out on a couple more date nights than normal, find some fun adventures to go on together, treasure each hug and kiss, pray together, create some great memories that you will have for when he's gone!

I hope this helped and am looking forward to posting more! :)

2015 Goals

In 2015 my biggest goal is the take the time to do what I enjoy. This includes spending much needed time with Zach, cooking dinners, journaling, art, blogging, etc. The last half of 2014 was so jam packed with school and work that I hardly had time to do anything that I wanted to. Now that I have some time off from having a job, I want to take full advantage!

I also want to be more obedient in reading the Bible. My prayer life is not so bad, but the only time I would have to read the Bible would be right before bed, and I wasn't very awake and focused at that time. I want to set a goal to read and study everyday after dinner during our relaxing time.

Journaling has always been something that I've really enjoyed doing, but I rarely stick with it for a good amount of time. It's something about new journals that I love that makes me somehow acquire about 15 half-used up ones! I'd like to work on actually filling a couple completely this year! 

As for living a healthier lifestyle, I want to exercise more (especially yoga) and be more aware of the things that I'm eating. I know that I won't be going to the gym everyday, and that's not my goal. But I'd like to set at least 2 days a week where I go and do yoga and workout. 

With Zach deploying soon, we are going to have A LOT of extra money coming in. All of his income is untaxed and he also gets a lot of bonuses for being deployed. I want to save this money up for our wedding that we can hopefully have soon after he gets back! I also want to have a bigger emergency fund.

Those are my goals for 2015! What are yours?

2014 Recap

2014 was such a busy year with a lot of exciting changes! I think I've grown up so much this year and think that Zach and I have grown together more than ever. 2014 was a great year and I hope that 2015 brings joy and many more adventures!

January:

January started off with a 2 day road trip from Virginia to Colorado with Zach and his dad. We spent the new year in our new townhouse on Fort Carson. We painted and decorated and quickly started to have a lot of friends over. Since I didn't have a car or a job we mostly had a lot of date nights and I spent a lot of time trying out new recipes and doing a lot of crafts! OH! And we got Avett!! :)

February: 

In Feb we celebrated our very first Valentine's day as a married couple, bought a new Honda, had a giant Super Bowl party, and went to Garden of the Gods for the first time.

March:

In March one of my best friends, Heather, from VA came to visit me. We went to Denver and did a lot of hiking. At the end of the month I also had my very first day at Bel-Rea! I'm so grateful for that school and so happy for the 2 wonderful friends that I made there, Allison and Anny!

April:

In April we took a big leap and decided to buy our first house! I'm so happy about that decision and love continuing to make this house a home. We also had our first married Easter and invited a lot of friends over for that.

May: 

In May we mostly did a lot of things around the house since it was starting to get warm outside. We made a fire pit outside, built shelves in the office, and painted the living room/kitchen.

June:

June was filled with adventure! We had a lot of get togethers at our house, went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, I started a new job, and I got to go on a camping trip to Yellowstone!

July:

In July we celebrated the 4th at our house, and I went to the AVMA Convention with Allison and Anny in Denver. 

August:

In August Zach was gone for training most of the month. I turned 24! I ran the Color Run, went to a hot air balloon festival, and went apple picking.

September:

In September I went to the Rocky Mountain National Park, but other than that spent a lot of time on schoolwork and at my job at the animal clinic. 

October:

In October we had Zach's family visit us, carved pumpkins, spent a lot of weekends at the dog park, and had our 1 year marriage anniversary! We had professional pictures taken for us for our anniversary. At the end of the month Zach also had his Lasik eye surgery so he's eligible to fly helicopters!

(A Girl Named Leney)

(Fifth & Ephesians Photography)

November:

In November we hosted our very first Thanksgiving together for about 20 people! It also started snowing.. A LOT!

December:

In December I finished up my last quarter of school for the year. We went to our first Military Ball, and I also started a new tradition of 12 days of Christmas for Zach. We took a vacation and drove to Virginia to visit our friends and family for Christmas. We got to see Allison and her fiancé in Virginia and we all went ice skating together and out to dinner. We also had a big bonfire with a lot of friends and spent a lot of time with our family. We got to follow Clay along to see him fly an airplane, he's only a couple weeks away from getting his pilot's license! We caught up with some old friends, and I also got to go to my best friend, Stacey's, gender reveal party! We found out that she's having a BOY!  After our relaxing time off we had a long road trip back to Colorado. In December I also decided that one of my New Year's goals is to spend more time doing the things that I love. So with this thought in mind, and many other factors, including Zach's upcoming deployment, I decided to leave my job at the clinic. I was worried about it at first, but knew that it was the right thing to do, and I feel so relieved! I can now focus on school for a little while as well as spend all of my free time with Zach before he leaves for Kuwait!

Overall, 2014 was a wonderful year! I'm sad that most of 2015 will be spent away from this guy, but I know that we will still be able to talk a lot and work on our marriage as hard as we can. I'm excited for some of the adventures that are coming up with my friends and can't wait to see how God works in our lives this year! 

(Stacey Dinch Photography)

2015 Goals are coming up soon! :)